


We live where darkness hides

by wolfodder



Series: Have my body, have my mind [6]
Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Shadowhunter Chronicles Fusion, Gen, aka rabin, and also junmyeon, other people finally get some screentime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-09
Updated: 2017-05-09
Packaged: 2018-10-30 02:36:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10867269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfodder/pseuds/wolfodder
Summary: Junmyeon, Hongbin and Wonshik go on a hunt that was supposed to be simple. With Shadowhunters, nothing ever turns out as planned.





	We live where darkness hides

**Author's Note:**

> Look at that, I'm finally introducing someone else! And so starts another story in this AU. Enjoy!
> 
>  
> 
> A few terms for whoever doesn't know (both intros taken from Shadowhunters' Wiki):
> 
> Shadowhunters, also known as Nephilim, are a secretive race of beings who are humans born with angel blood. They have fought demons and lived alongside Downworlders in the Shadow World for well over a thousand years, creating their own culture and civilization within human society. Their mandate is to keep the peace in the Shadow World and keep it hidden from the mundane world while protecting the inhabitants of both worlds.
> 
> A parabatai is a pair of Nephilim warriors who fight together as lifelong partners, bound together by oath, regardless of their gender. Their bond is not reflected only in their closeness and willingness to lay down their lives for one another, but also in oath—one sworn in front of the Council.

The silence is beautiful.

Being alone in the training room is the best kind of calm. Anything that happens here is under his control. He could shoot arrows, throw knives, or even just go to sleep - which he did many times at a younger age when practicing by himself so much he didn’t bother going to bed - but the point is he is alone, and the silence is wonderful in the middle of an Institute that so often has people milling around.

Accuracy, his teacher used to tell him, is key. When you shoot an arrow, you want it to hit exactly where you planned. You want maximum damage - and for demons, you want the arrow to kill instantly. Demons don’t have emotions, they won’t slow down or falter for you. There is only the death and calamity that they bring.

With this in mind, and his bow in hand, Hongbin nocks an arrow and draws the string, taking a deep breath. Taking it slowly is not a luxury he usually has in battle, but he’s just getting started, and focus is important for accuracy.

A sense of comfort fills him when Wonshik enters the training room, a feeling he often experiences. His light steps echo just slightly in the large space. The man leans his shoulder against a pillar, watching him. Their eyes meet for a second, then Hongbin’s gaze flits back to his bow, the arrow poised, and focuses once again on the target, imagining all the worst demons in front of him. The arrow is drawn so close to his face that when he stops moving his hand and focuses, he can see the small runes inscribed on it. He knows what each of them does; he placed them there. He makes each of his arrows with the same care and eye for detail, making them powerful, able to kill a demon.

In a second, he releases the arrow. He doesn’t stop to look at where it ends up; instead, he reaches for a new arrow from his quiver as he walks to the next target. He fires the next arrow, takes a new one, fires, and keeps going with complete concentration. Then, someone grabs his shoulders from behind, and in a combination of pure instinct and harsh training he kicks back, making the hands let go of him, and turns around with an arrow ready to shoot.

Wonshik is in front of him, laughing hard while stabilizing himself even though he’s sort of cupping his junk from the kick. He’s gotten better at handling pain over the years - all Shadowhunters learn it. “Don’t shoot,” he says, even while he’s still laughing.

“Holy shit, Wonshik,” Hongbin almost shouts, immediately taking the arrow off the bowstring and placing it back in his quiver. Although he was shocked, looking at Wonshik he can almost feel laughter bubbling up his throat as well. “By the Angel, what the fuck did you do that for?” he says incredulously. It’s not like they haven’t practiced surprise attacks before, but Hongbin saw Wonshik coming in and he didn’t see him move away because of his focus on the targets in front of him.

“Sorry,” Wonshik says, still giggling, and Hongbin kicks him gently. “Just checking if you’re prepared for other attackers, but it looks like you are, buddy. I don’t think my junk is going to function for a while.”

“Not like you need it to these days.” Hongbin snorts at his offended look, and turns back to the targets, going over to each one to survey his shots. Most of the arrows hit the bullseye, and, well, that should be good enough, but it never is. He pulls each arrow out and places them back in his quiver, a disgruntled look on his face every time an arrow is off the mark. One misfire, after all, and a demon could live long enough to kill more people. His shots need to be perfectly calculated.

Wonshik seems to be able to tell what he’s thinking - they’re parabatai, after all, connected by a bond stronger than blood. They know each other like the back of their hand. “How about a spar?” Wonshik suggests, and Hongbin is ready to catch the staff thrown at him before he even puts away his bow. He grins easily at Wonshik as he goes into fight stance, staff readily poised in a split second, an extension of his arm.

As Shadowhunters, they learn to be familiar with nearly all the weapons in their possession - Wonshik could fire some good arrows if he borrowed Hongbin’s bow, and Hongbin could probably make some damage with Wonshik’s axe, but that’s a matter of preference - and to be naturally confident with the most important ones, like the seraph blade sheathed in his belt, the best weapon for killing demons in close range as it ensures the demon’s death. Still, Hongbin will always reach for his bow first, and his arrows are created to be lethal in the same way as seraph blades.

“Do your worst,” Hongbin says, and there’s a glint in Wonshik’s eye as the spar begins.

They circle each other for a few seconds, until Wonshik lunges forward with his staff, trying to hit Hongbin’s shoulder. Hongbin blocks the attack, and slams his staff into Wonshik’s side in retaliation. He moves quickly, in order to protect himself the moment he strikes, immediately holding the staff in front of him. He’s good at blocking Wonshik’s offences, but Wonshik also gets in some good hits. Because they know each other's patterns so well, after years of training together, they’re often able to predict the other’s moves. To them, sparring like this isn't so much for enhancing their fight skills anymore as it is for enhancing their bond, improving their cooperative skills.

With a swift movement, Hongbin advances on Wonshik with the staff, going for his face; Wonshik uses his own staff to block the attack and nearly forces Hongbin's staff out of his grip from the force with which he hits it. This gives him an opening, and he kicks at the back of Hongbin's knee, bringing him to the ground with a grunt. Wonshik stands over him, pointing the staff at his chest.

"I win," he says brightly, and then removes the staff and holds it at his side, offering his free hand to help Hongbin up. Hongbin accepts it, pulling himself up, and playfully pokes his parabatai with his own staff.

Then, within a split second, he returns the attack that took him down, kicking at Wonshik's knees. He chuckles when the man drops to the floor, groaning a bit more dramatically than Hongbin. "Don't think you've automatically won," Hongbin says, amused.

He's about to help Wonshik up as well, but is distracted when he hears a Portal opening outside the training room. "Is that-" he wonders, dropping the staff and going to see who is entering the Institute.

“Junmyeon hyung,” he greets happily at the sight of the warlock closing the Portal he just came through. “I thought you were only coming this evening.”

Junmyeon smiles at him, straightening his coat. He’s dressed in fairly casual clothes, but even with his kind and friendly demeanor he has that air about him that warlocks sometimes do - the magic surrounding them, the sense that they’re powerful. “I was asked to come earlier,” he explains. “Nasty demon attack, apparently. Oh, hello, Wonshik.”

“What’s this about a demon attack?” Wonshik asks curiously, coming up next to Hongbin.

“A flock of demons somewhere in the northern part of the city. Do you guys want to come along?” Junmyeon sizes them up, as if he hasn’t known them since the two Shadowhunters were children, eager to learn and prove their worth.

Working for the Seoul Institute - because the High Warlock is apparently “too busy”, but Junmyeon says the man just can’t be bothered - he would come around often to help Shadowhunters by performing protection spells and tracking spells and whatnot else they wanted from him. With all his visits, he would also chat with the two boys and play around with them, much to the chagrin of both of their parents, who only tolerated a Downworlder in their midst because they needed his help. Despite his parents’ discontent about it, Hongbin developed some admiration for Junmyeon over the course of his youth, and so did Wonshik, although he shows it less readily after the recent weeks spent in Idris with his own parents.

“I was just getting warmed up,” Hongbin reasons, “so why not?”

“I haven’t fought anything in almost a week. It’s been quiet,” says Wonshik, already starting to reopen the door to the training room, definitely to get his axe. “A hunt sounds good right about now.”

“All right,” Junmyeon says, “gear up. I’ll be back with you in a few minutes.”

 

 

 

Junmyeon is not a Shadowhunter in any way; it’s certainly not his job to hunt demons. Still, he has a knack for finding them without doing much work. A Shadowhunter has to go off of trails and assumptions and occasionally tracking by runes, and even most regular warlocks could only find them through scrying or tracing. Junmyeon, however, takes a simple whiff of the air, and waves Hongbin and Wonshik in the direction he has already started to go. It’s uncanny but helpful nonetheless, as it saves them a lot of searching. Hongbin never asks about this ability, and neither does Wonshik; he simply gives Hongbin a curious look, and they shrug it off rather than prying.

“It’s a nest,” Junmyeon says thoughtfully as he stands in front of an abandoned building. “There are a lot of them. Are the three of us enough?”

“How much is a lot?” Wonshik asks; Hongbin notices his fingers tapping absently on the hilt of his axe, like he’s tapping out a rhythm. Knowing him, he probably is. Someone who doesn’t know him might think he’s distracted, but Hongbin knows better than that; Wonshik never lets himself get distracted on the job.

“I don’t know. I can’t count them, only feel their presence,” says Junmyeon with a wry smile. “There is a strong presence. It’ll be hard to take them on alone.”

Hongbin shrugs. “You’re the one who brought us here. Besides, you know I love a challenge.” Wonshik grins a little, though he still seems unsure. Even so, he draws his axe and holds it ready, clearly wanting a good reason to swing it at some demons. It’s been a boring week for the both of them.

There is a moment where Junmyeon regards them quietly, trying to make a decision. For a second, Hongbin wonders if he’s going to argue further; he’s not wrong about them probably being outnumbered, but they don’t have time to call for backup if the demons go somewhere. They’ll have to do it later. “Nephilim,” the warlock says disapprovingly, shaking his head and sighing. “All right. I’ll come along, if only to make sure you two don’t go on a damn suicide mission under my supervision.”

Pleased with this result, Hongbin grins and takes his bow in his hand. He grabs his stele with the other and draws the Soundless rune on his ankle, to make himself less detectable to the demons. “Let’s go, then,” he says, seeing Wonshik finishing up his own rune.

Getting into the building proves to be pretty simple; they decide to go through the back door, which is old and rusty and easy to push open, though it makes an unsettling creaking noise as they do so. The inside of the building is dark, and Hongbin ignores the chills running through him at the cold air on his skin. He’s had worse feelings before.

At first it seems like there’s nothing there; but although they are unable to hear anything out of the ordinary, seeing nothing special even as their eyes adapt to the darkness, Hongbin and Wonshik make eye contact, and then look to Junmyeon. Demons can be elusive.  
When no one makes a move to leave, they keep going.

Then Wonshik stops in his tracks. “Do you hear that?” he mouths to Hongbin and Junmyeon. Stopping his movements, Hongbin closes his eyes and listens intently, and then he hears it - a soft growling sound like a growling stomach. It sounds like it comes from above them, so he looks up at the ceiling.

There they are. A small group of similar-looking demons, hanging onto the ceiling and breathing with that strange growling sound. It almost looks like they’re sleeping. He doesn’t think he has ever seen a sleeping demon before - they’re usually attacking, rarely dormant.

The sound starts to increase in volume, and Hongbin suddenly realizes that there are several of those groups all around the room they are in - different types of demons, gathered in this one building to grow a nest. And the demons are waking up. He doesn’t try to suppress the chills this time.

“This was a mistake,” Junmyeon whispers. “We walked into a death trap. We need to leave _now_.”

Hongbin can’t decide whether he agrees or not, an automatic protest on his lips nonetheless - and then a loud scraping noise stuns them all into silence. They all freeze in their spots; and the sound from the demons stops, slowly being replaced by the sound of claws, tentacles hitting the ceiling as they begin to move, gaining on them.

“Too late,” Wonshik mumbles.

“Guys! Let’s go!” Junmyeon says, desperation increasing in his voice; he seems less inclined to danger than the two Shadowhunters - but it’s too late to run out now. Hongbin draws an arrow, nocking it on his bow, and looks for the demon closest to him; Wonshik holds his axe ready in one hand, his glowing seraph blade in the other. “You fools,” Junmyeon says in frustration and raises his hands - a soft glow begins to emanate from them immediately, making the scales on his throat glitter.

The first demon jumps at them. Hongbin aims his arrow and shoots the demon immediately; it explodes into black ichor before it reaches the ground.

Then they all come at once, and all hell breaks loose.

In the beginning everything is fine; it even seems like the three of them have the upper hand, killing demons before they can attack. Hongbin doesn’t make a habit of celebrating before something is certain, but as he fires another arrow he feels pretty satisfied considering how skeptical Junmyeon was about this ordeal. If it keeps up like this, it will be no problem to clear the nest.

Then, a tentacle shoots out and snatches Wonshik’s axe while he’s busy cutting down another demon. He swiftly turns and cuts the tentacle off its owner with his seraph blade, but the one second it takes him is enough for the demon he was fighting to slam into him and throw him to the ground.

A surge of pain and anger runs through Hongbin at the sight of his parabatai on the ground. He fires an arrow at the demon that attacked Wonshik, then another one to make sure it really dies, and runs to Wonshik. He can’t handle seeing him in pain. “Get up,” he says, stretching out his hand.

“Hongbin,” Junmyeon shouts, and he turns around in time to see two demons in front of him fall and turn into dust. “Focus!” Then another demon comes up behind Junmyeon, and before Hongbin can so much as warn him the demon bites his side. Junmyeon yells in pain; he aims his magic behind him and obliterates the demon with light. And then he staggers.

“We need to get out of here. Can you Portal us?” Hongbin draws his seraph blade - glowing brightly as if desperately trying to warn them of the demons - and pulls Wonshik to his feet, striking a demon out of their way as he helps his parabatai to the warlock. Junmyeon was right to worry - he should have listened from the beginning. With Wonshik suffering from a hard blow and Junmyeon holding a hand to his injured side, they don’t stand a chance against all these demons that seem to just keep coming. Even though Hongbin is still undamaged, it won’t last long in this condition.

“Yes, but I need you to cover me so I can protect the Portal,” Junmyeon says. Immediately, Hongbin gets into a defensive position next to the warlock. Wonshik lets go of him and raises his own blade. “You okay?” Hongbin asks. Wonshik just looks at him and nods shortly, mouth pressed into a thin line. He’s injured, but he still doesn’t bow out of the battle. Neither of them would, unless they were physically incapable of fighting.

Hongbin’s mind is mostly blank when he fights demons; all he feels is the adrenaline rush, his limbs moving on instinct to counter his opponent. He goes back into this mindset now, ignoring everything that’s a distraction and simply going for every demon he can get to. This is how he focuses best.

He _feels_ Wonshik’s pain, however, when a demon suddenly slices into his stomach. It violently pulls him out of his blank state and into panic, because Wonshik falls down again next to him and his stomach is _bleeding_. Hongbin cuts down the demon, and another one, and then he can’t focus anymore - he must take care of Wonshik. He pulls out his stele and sits on his knees, hurriedly drawing an iratze, the healing rune, on Wonshik’s skin. It works slowly, trying but not quite managing to close the wounds. There is definitely demon venom in there. “It’s okay,” he says to Wonshik, who is beginning to protest weakly.

“Guys, come on-” Junmyeon turns around, and stops speaking when he sees them, eyes widening. “Get him up,” he tells Hongbin in a businesslike manner. “Go through the Portal.”

“What about you?” Hongbin asks as he pulls Wonshik to his feet.

“I’m right behind you,” says Junmyeon and pushes them towards the Portal. “Now, go!”

Portal travel lasts for only a brief moment, but it feels like falling endlessly. Hongbin holds tightly onto Wonshik, so he won’t lose him in limbo - it’s not safe, slipping out of consciousness in a Portal. When they come out, they’re in someone’s living room. It’s unfamiliar, and as he staggers to his feet with Wonshik in his arms he wonders where Junmyeon has brought them. The silence here is a stark contrast to the noise on the other side of the Portal; the Portal itself is the only thing making noise besides their own ragged breathing.

“All right, come on.” Wonshik feels so much heavier all of a sudden, and Hongbin sighs when he sees that his eyes are closed, tries not to worry too much. He drags Wonshik with him and lays him down on the nearest sofa - the blood is definitely going to leave stains on that fabric, but he can’t find it in himself to care. Hopefully whoever lives here won’t be too worried either. If they’re friends with Junmyeon, maybe they’ll be nice.

“Who the hell are you?”

A faerie with ruffled hair stands in the doorway, glaring accusingly at Hongbin. Is _this_ Junmyeon’s friend? He doesn’t look too friendly; then again, he just found two Shadowhunters crashing his home. “A friend of Kim Junmyeon,” Hongbin says. “He sent us here through that Portal. My parabatai is hurt. Can you help?”

“Where’s Junmyeon? On the other side?” The faerie’s expression softens a little. So he does know Junmyeon - this isn’t just a random place.

“Yes, but I wouldn’t advise you to go look for him. It’s the middle of a demon nest,” Hongbin warns.

“And you just _left_ him there?!” The faerie looks at him like he’s crazy. “Fucking Nephilim.” Hongbin tries to start explaining, Junmyeon left him no choice - but the faerie simply approaches the Portal in long strides and disappears.

It doesn’t take long for the faerie to return with Junmyeon in tow, looking much worse off than when Hongbin left with Wonshik. Junmyeon closes the Portal with a hand gesture just in time for a demon limb to come through, being cut off and falling to the floor.

“Hakyeon,” Junmyeon says, clutching his side, “I need Hakyeon, where is he?”

“He went out on an errand. I don’t know when he’ll be back. Is it the venom?” The faerie helps to lay down on the couch opposite Hongbin and Wonshik. Hongbin busies himself with his stele while listening, pulling Wonshik’s shirt up and drawing iratzes all over his skin in a hope to speed up his healing. Hoping that he’ll wake up sooner rather than later; he now sees the venom running through Wonshik’s veins, like dark trees growing on his skin. Iratzes don’t help much with infections, he knows; but he can’t help but try, not when Wonshik is in clear pain, panting and sweating. The still open wound in his stomach looks nasty, and it won’t heal…

“Yes. Jaehwan, take care of the Nephilim first, he needs it more than me right now. And please get a hold of Hakyeon if you can.” Junmyeon closes his eyes and takes several deep breaths - he’s handling it remarkably well, like it’s not the first time he’s had injuries like this. It’s not the first time for Wonshik or even Hongbin either, but they’re still much younger and less experienced than Junmyeon, and maybe warlocks simply handle it better than Shadowhunters in general. It makes Hongbin reconsider how much he really knows about his friend’s past.

“I’ll contact him, but meanwhile I’ll see what I can find in his study.” The faerie leaves the room with a final judging glare at Hongbin, leaving the three in silence.

Wonshik pants softly. Hongbin keeps drawing runes on him, the need to be useful overwhelming him. This is all his fault. Junmyeon told him they shouldn’t go in - even Wonshik hadn’t been certain, and still he plowed through and made them go into this with him. It’s completely his fault. His mind goes back to the moment when Wonshik was slammed into the ground, and how from there it all went wrong - now his parabatai and his friend are both injured because of him.

“He’s going to scar if you keep drawing that rune on him.”

Junmyeon is watching him when he looks up. Hongbin didn’t realize he was still awake. It’s a relief to at least know he’s able to keep his eyes open and communicate. His gaze makes Hongbin calm down a little, like when he was younger and made stupid mistakes that made him want to quit training to be a Shadowhunter, and Junmyeon would pick him up and tell him that he could do anything he wanted. Now it calms him a little, but he still feels restlessness tugging at him once he stops drawing.

“How are you feeling?” he asks, clutching his stele tightly to stop himself from drawing more. He suddenly feels incredibly self conscious about it, especially when Junmyeon glances at his hand.

“I’ve had worse, believe it or not.” Junmyeon smiles a little, though it’s clear that he’s in pain. It hurts Hongbin’s heart. “It’s not fun to have demon venom in my blood, but I already have demon blood, so it doesn’t hurt too bad. I’ll heal just fine if Jaehwan or Hakyeon help me out a little. Are _you_ okay?”

Hongbin looks away, feeling so far from okay. “I’ll be better once you both heal up.” His hand itches with the urge to try to heal Wonshik again - he can’t bear this. He lays his hand on Wonshik’s arm, stele ready.

Already he feels the weight of Junmyeon’s stare, not disapproving but simply sad. “Runes don’t help in this situation, you know that,” says Junmyeon. “No matter how many you make.”

“ _Then what will_?” Hongbin didn’t mean to raise his voice, but he can’t help himself. He doesn’t know what to do when his bond with Wonshik is tugging at him and feeling only a small amount of the pain Wonshik is in makes him clench his fists tightly. “This is my fault,” he says, more softly. “I have to do something.”

Junmyeon shakes his head. “Wonshik will be fine, Hongbin. Jaehwan will contact the High Warlock of Seoul - he knows what he’s doing. Use that stele on yourself instead, at least that’ll help.”

“I’m _fine_ ,” Hongbin insists.

“You have a cut on your shoulder,” Junmyeon points out. Only then does Hongbin notice the blood drying on his jacket, which when he inspects it indeed leads to a long cut through his jacket and into his shoulder.

He has no idea when that happened. He didn’t think about himself at all. Suddenly he gets the feeling of not quite being present, as if he has been somewhere else entirely for the past hour. Then the pain catches up with him, and he groans, lifting his stele to his shoulder and drawing an iratze next to the wound. The relieving effect is immediate, and he slumps back against the couch as the wound begins to heal. He drops the stele from his hand, and as he closes his eyes, he hears it hit the floor, and sighs.

He gets a few minutes of silence and rest both in the room and in his mind before he hears steps approaching. When he opens his eyes, he notes that he’s nearly fully healed, and the faerie, Jaehwan, is reentering the room with several small bottles and some other supplies in his hands.

“This will have to do until Hakyeon arrives.” He places the bottles on the coffee table. “They should stall the movement of the venom and provide your parabatai with some relief from the excruciating pain he no doubt is in.” His voice is far too pleasant for the words he’s uttering, and Hongbin grimaces, knowing Jaehwan is right, but kind of upset with the faerie for being so blunt about it. Jaehwan opens one of the bottles and pours some of its content onto a cotton wad, placing it gently around Wonshik’s wound. “So, whose brilliant idea was it to barge into a demon nest alone?”

Hongbin looks away at that, and Jaehwan snorts when he sees. “Of course, Nephilim - addicted to battle,” he says. “You probably thought it was all fun and games until your parabatai got hurt. And you’re the one who gets away with the least scratches. Ouch.”

“Jaehwan,” Junmyeon warns. Jaehwan shrugs, and starts to clean the area around Wonshik’s wound.

“He’s right,” Hongbin mumbles, defeated. He feels like curling up on himself, like a child. “I convinced you and Wonshik that we should go in, against both of your better judgement. Wonshik wasn’t sure, I could tell, but he came because I wanted him to. You didn’t deserve all of this for something I dragged you into.”

“It was a horrible idea,” Junmyeon concedes, and winces as he starts to sit up. Jaehwan wordlessly stops his work on Wonshik to help him. “But I came along voluntarily. I wouldn’t have let you two go in there alone. Both you and Wonshik have a leaning towards hunting demons that makes you run headfirst into danger, even if Wonshik was unsure. I didn’t really expect you to listen to me. Ah-!”

He stops his speech when Jaehwan presses a new wad of cotton into the wound on his side, making him hiss and wiggle around. “Will you sit still?” Jaehwan complains. “I’m trying to help here!”

“I know, but it hurts,” Junmyeon says, clenching and unclenching his fists as he tries to stop moving. In the end he gives up and reaches to stall Jaehwan’s hand. “Okay, okay, that’s enough. Give me the potion and I’ll be fine.”

With a shrug, Jaehwan hands him the bottle just as a Portal opens up in the room, its noise making them all look up. A warlock steps through, his messy hair a dark blue and eyes serious - a presence the moment he walks in. Hongbin doesn’t recognize him, but he assumes this is the High Warlock of Seoul. Looking at his companions, he notices that Jaehwan’s gaze is soft when watching the newcomer. The warlock closes the Portal and whirs around to face them all. Then he sees the mess of people on the sofa.

“Junmyeon!” he exclaims, and his somewhat intimidating appearance melts away as he rushes to his friend’s side, concern written in his eyes.

“Relax,” Junmyeon insists, although he lets the other warlock take his empty hand. With the other one, he waves the potion Jaehwan just gave him. “You know this. Let me handle it, and you can take care of him. He’s worse off.” He nods toward Wonshik, whose breathing has stabilized, although he’s still sweating profusely. Hongbin feels an urge to take his hand like the warlock took Junmyeon’s, and so he does, squeezing it gently.

“Ah,” the warlock says, letting go of Junmyeon and rising to take a look at Wonshik and Hongbin. His head tilts curiously. “You must be Hongbin. Junmyeon has told me a lot about you and Wonshik. I’m Hakyeon.”

“Can you help Wonshik?” Hongbin asks. He’d be more polite normally, especially since Hakyeon is Junmyeon’s friend, but he doesn’t particularly care for more introductions now. If Wonshik doesn’t wake up soon he’ll explode with his guilt and frustration.

Hakyeon doesn’t seem offended; he simply hums, surveys the damage that has been inflicted on Wonshik. “Of course I can,” he says confidently, pulling up the sleeves of his robe. He looks to Jaehwan, his shoulders relaxing. Something unspoken seems to pass between them before he asks Jaehwan for more bandages. Jaehwan stands and leaves the room, and Hakyeon takes to inspect the potions placed on the table. The clinking of bottles as he gets to work feels relieving to Hongbin, like some progress is being made. He grips Wonshik’s hand a little tighter.

It takes a long while, but Hakyeon manages to rid Wonshik entirely of venom using his magic and potions. “He’s going to need some rest,” he informs Hongbin. “Let’s move him to my room, it’s more comfortable.”

And so Hongbin sits at Wonshik’s bedside, plainly exhausted after the fighting and worrying and helping Jaehwan hold Wonshik still as he writhed in pain from one of the potions Hakyeon had administered against the venom. The adrenaline left him long ago, and he feels deflated and unable to move from his seat. He takes comfort in that the color has returned to Wonshik’s cheeks and that he looks peaceful in his sleep.

 

 

 

“Let me see,” Hakyeon says and tips Junmyeon’s head back, inspecting his throat, the dark green scales adorning it. He narrows his eyes, reaches for the damp cloth at the table and gently wipes Junmyeon’s throat. When it comes away with black spots, he scrunches his face in disgust. “Ugh. Demon venom. Thank God the potion worked.”

“I have no doubt in your skill, my friend,” Junmyeon says and grins. With a gesture of his hand, the cloth is made clean. He looks much better now that the venom has left his body and he’s all healed; then again, everyone always does.

“I’m sure you don’t.” Hakyeon throws the cloth away and crawls to the other end of the sofa, where Jaehwan lets him into his arms. “So were you ever going to let me meet your Nephilim friends who you care so much for, without horrible injury?”

Junmyeon smiles awkwardly. “Sorry?” he tries. “Of course I’d let you meet them otherwise. It’s just, you can be… you know how you can be, especially with Shadowhunters. But they’re good kids. I want to make sure they do what they want.”

“I’m not _that_ bad,” Hakyeon says, disgruntled. He feels Jaehwan’s chuckle against his back - definitely a confirmation that he, in fact, _is_ that bad. “You’re not any better,” he tells him. Jaehwan shrugs unapologetically and strokes his arm.

“They seem close,” Jaehwan remarks after some silence. “Hongbin definitely cares about Wonshik a lot.”

“There’s a reason they’re parabatai,” says Junmyeon. “They were inseparable even before they took the oath. The oath just made them stronger together.”

“Good,” Jaehwan says. “That they have each other. Shadowhunting must be lonely sometimes.”

Hakyeon looks at him with some surprise. “I rarely hear you uttering sympathy for Shadowhunters.”

“I guess they’re not all bad. Foolish, yes, but... loving.”

 

 

 

He doesn’t notice when he dozes off or how long he sleeps, only that he wakes from a gentle tug on his hand. He blinks blearily, eyes widening when he sees Wonshik watching him with a sleepy smile. “You’re awake,” he comments unnecessarily. A sigh leaves him. “Thank the Angel.”

“Yeah,” Wonshik mumbles. “But I’m tired as hell and I can’t sleep if you’re sleeping on that chair.” He tugs on Hongbin’s hand again. Hongbin gets the idea, gladly climbs into the incredibly comfortable-looking bed next to Wonshik. The other buries his face in his neck and hums, pleased, and then stills, presumably falling back asleep.

“I’m so sorry,” Hongbin says quietly, heart clenching. “It was my fault you got hurt.”

“Don’t waste your breath apologizing,” Wonshik says against his shoulder, making him jerk in surprise. He didn’t know if he’d heard. “We can’t change what happened. I don’t resent you.”

“But-”

“Junmyeon was right, you know. We both have a tendency to rush into danger. We’re both idiots.” Wonshik groans and stretches, blinking up at him.

“You heard him?” Hongbin turns to face him. He really thought that Wonshik was completely out of it ever since stepping through that Portal.

“I was mostly unconscious, but I heard everything important,” says Wonshik and smiles softly. “Come on, let’s just go to sleep. I don’t think Junmyeon’s friend will let us borrow this amazing bed for very long.”

Letting out an incredulous laugh, Hongbin lets himself relax into the mattress. It really is amazingly soft. He’ll definitely struggle to leave it in the morning. “All right.” When he closes his eyes, he hears Wonshik’s breathing even out, feels his fingers lightly touching his own, and sinks into sleep next to his parabatai, at peace.


End file.
